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Finding beauty in the white spaces

“Enough” — A Prayer

As we return from a short blog sabbath, our hearts are heavy due to the tragedy in Orlando. If you are like us, your head is swimming with all kinds of thoughts and your heart is full of all manner of emotions. So instead of cluttering that up with some posts this week, we simply wanted to offer a prayer. We’ll be back to regularly scheduled content next week.

Not again.
Please, Lord, not again.

I’ve had enough of this.

Enough of the images that have become all-too-familiar scenes
people kneeling and weeping
crying, inconsolable mourners
clutching one another in front of a bank of swirling blue and red lights.

Enough of shocked eyewitnesses
standing in front of television cameras
trying to make sense of something that has no sense in it.

Enough of names scrolling across a screen
faces of victims I don’t know, but that seem familiar
because they could just as easily be faces of my own loved ones
and because they are precious to someone
a wife or a mother,
a son or a husband,
a sister or brother or coworker or friend.

My heart vacillates between anger and outrage and sadness and despair.

And yet I don’t have enough.

I don’t have enough words.
words to describe the pain and emptiness
words to impart how my heart is broken for people I’ve never met
words to explain the disgust for the way life is so unfair
words to communicate my fear and sorrow and anxiousness.

So Lord, I’m going to need more.

I need more love
because darkness cannot be overcome with darkness
because hate can only be destroyed with love.

I don’t have enough, Lord.
I need more love.

More love for the “other”
because I have have serious differences with so many around me
yet they are your children just as much as I am.

More love for justice
because every person has your imprint on them
every person deserves the same rights and privileges that I enjoy
no matter their political views or lifestyle choices or religious beliefs
and they need someone to stand up for them
like others have stood up for me.

More love because everyone has a seat at your table.

More love for my friends
and more love for my enemies.
More love for those I agree with
and more love for those with whom I have serious conflict.
More love for the victim
and more love for the criminal.

More love for the people posting stupid things on my social media pages.

More love that compels me to speak
and more love that urges me to keep quiet.

More love for the Muslim and the Hindu and the Jew and the Buddhist and the Sikh and the Wiccan and the Atheist and the Agnostic and the Christian.

I just need more love, Father
because more love is the only way out of this mess.